STG Investigative Report : Matriarch Trellani
by LogicalPremise
Summary: An in-universe summary of my AU version of Trellani. Please note this is HEAVILY AU and should not be taken as a canon resource. Nothing particularly bad, but some ugly references to mass murder.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _Happens just after the mess on Bekenstein._

* * *

 **– STG – STG – STG –**

 _STG Report on Matriarch Trellani:_

Senior Agent Grathir to the STG Master

As requested, I've put together an initial briefing document covering everything we currently know regarding the so-called Dark Matriarch, Trellani. Based on numerous sources, including recent information from the mess on Bekenstein, we can _definitely_ confirm her connection to Cerberus.

While normally a figure of Trellani's importance would be relegated to an intel dossier rather than a full-blown STG Report, Trellani is not some reclining figure. She was the Stellarch of the Temple of Athame for quite some time, well-known and powerful even before that, and is probably one of the most dangerous data brokers in the galaxy.

Her having joined forces with Cerberus opened our eyes to just how flexible the humans could be even in bigotry. It's curious as well as to why she would have decided to join such a group, rumors about her relationship with Jack Harper aside. Then again, given the amount of effort the Thirty have made at finding and killing her, I suppose Cerberus might be the safest place to hide.

By the Wheel, the nerve it must have taken for her to do that. This is a very dangerous asari.

As with all reports, by necessity, this document is not all-inclusive with details, but instead provides high-order information that can be queried in depth at a later time. I'm afraid a great deal of this is speculation, guesswork, and inferred hypothesis.

This file is classified Dashan-Black, the forty-third such file and the third iteration since initial compilation.

 **Caution : Read FIRST**

As usual, most, if not all, information on Trellani is based on four sources: existing historical accounts records, eyewitness accounts, extranet information, and accumulated scans and examinations. Under no circumstances can this file be assumed complete, and as always, assume that this file is a _baseline_ of his abilities, not a comprehensive coverage.

Trellani's abilities as Stellarch are not well documented, and even the Solarch has reluctantly admitted that while Trellani's sheer power may not match her own, the Stellarch did a _staggering_ amount of biotic research, both in asari archaeological digs as well as independent study. Several invocations lost to the Temple over the years, created by asari who did not pass them on before their death, have emerged in Trellani's hands.

It does not help that Trellani delights in surprising people, and specializes in making people either underestimate or overestimate her.

* * *

 **– STG – STG – STG –**

 **Matriarch Trellani, daughter of Tieress, Twice-Blessed of Clan Moondance**

 **Overview:**

 _Formal Titles_ : High Stellarch of the Temple of Eternal Flame of Athame's Light (former), CEO of Trellani Enterprises (former), Dean of Archaeology and Reclamation of Culture, University of Thessia (former),Clan Representative to the Citadel Council, (former), Clan Matriarch (former), Twice-Blessed Redeemer of the Order of the Black Remembrance (former). Current titles unknown.

 _Nicknames_ : The Dark Matriarch, Athame's Fury (formerly), Sorrow's Tide

 _Race_ : Asari. Genetically, of the Clans, although there is heavy speculation (despite her short height) that she might have ancestors of the Thirty due to her biotic power.

 _Age and sex_ : Nine hundred and sixty-three years old. Asari monogender. Two known children, deceased.

 _Wealth:_ Difficult to ascertain. At the time of her flight from Asari Space, she was worth at least three hundred million credits, due to work with her corporation. Much of this was seized by Clan Moondance or the Asari Republic, but some sixty million in hard specie, precious metals, artifacts, and raw eezo was missing, as well as untold millions of credits worth of biotic texts she stole. That does not include the ritual armor or warp sword of the Stellarch she took with her, conservatively valued at well over fifty million credits.

Attempts to trace her current holdings have failed due to Cerberus interference. Two assets converted to Shieldbreaker status for this failure.

 _Psychological Summary_ : There is some disagreement in PsyProf about her classification. Based on her actions against the asari and statements about the fate she wishes on the Thirty, she would seem to fit into the Omnicidal quadrant of Malevolent personalities. On the other hand, she falls more into the Corruptive/Plotting quadrant of Villainous personalities for all other actions, a curious bifurcation (and a realization that not all aliens will neatly fit into salarian mental boxes.)

Regardless of which is correct, Trellani's morals are nonexistent, and she has committed well over a hundred murders by her own hand, not to mention terror acts that have killed tens of thousands of asari already.

 _Military Summary_ : As with most Clan Moondance members, Trellani had no formal military training, and while she was eventually educated as a war priestess, this did not provide any real military experience either. Based on video evidence, she is at least somewhat capable with using pistols, and is an excellent warp sword dancer.

 _Education_ : Early educational efforts were modest, but later in life she held doctorates in economics and xenoarchaeology from the University of Thessia. She also held full certifications in biotic studies from both the Serrician Biotic Council and the Salarian Institute of the Mind.

A caution: She spent over fifty years teaching and working with salarian biotic researchers and is very well-acquainted with salarian-specific biotics, and taught several of our own Transcendentals.

 _Employment_ : Owned and operated her own shipping and cross-border transport firm (Trellani Enterprises) as well as several other small businesses prior to her flight from the Asari Republic. Some evidence of involvement with Aethyta's Black Blades, but we were unable to find out anything else. Currently, employed by Cerberus for reasons and purposes unknown.

 _Significant Family_ : None that remain alive. Her mother, both children, two sisters, and nearly a dozen extended family members were either massacred by the Republic's Nightwind, or murdered by Tazzik. Two more distant relatives were tortured to death by P. and all of her acolytes have been killed.

 _Overall Threat Rating_ : Black-Collapse Six. Possibly higher, depending on how badly informed we are about her biotic abilities.

* * *

 **Historical Notes:**

Trellani was born to clan parentage. Her mother was a Clan Moondance siari celebrant, who traveled widely outside of the Republic to share siari – specifically, in the Salarian Union. Her father was a salarian of Clan Di Daaso who had been exiled from the family to the Black Rim colonies after a failed business venture that cost the family heavily.

Trellani's early years were spent in the Black Rim colonies, specifically Shersho and Vitha 9, but she was often mobile as her mother traveled widely. Her early years are nearly a blank and she only became 'known,' as it were, almost two hundred years after her birth, when she began working with salarian and asari archaeological teams on old Prothean digs.

She spent a great deal of time in Salarian Space, and returned throughout her life, often withdrawing from her career for a handful of years before heading back out. (A note: she is extremely familiar with most aspects of salarian society, writes in nineteen cants and speaks flawless Sur'kai with a Di Daaso accent.)

She was only two hundred and twenty when she was selected among several other clan members to accompany the Church of Athame on an expedition and excavation of an old asari colony believed to have been founded in the exodus of Matriarch Dilinaga's group. A small number of salarian researchers were also invited, which is probably how she got onto the list.

Trellani's research camp was attacked by pirates (turian separatists) and several team members were killed. Trellani herself stood off a turian heavy mercenary and her biotics saved the life of the expedition's leader – then Matron Benezia T'Soni, who took an interest in Trellani's biotic strength.

Trellani spent a good century working as an adjunct or assistant to Benezia before being offered the almost unheard of opportunity to join the Church of Athame directly. Normally, only the Thirty or the Lesser Houses were allowed to join, but she was sponsored by Benezia and several other Priestesses who were impressed by her abilities.

After a grueling trial, she became the first not of the Thirty to join the ranks of the Temple, and almost immediately began ascending the ranks. As she grew in power, she continued her archaeological digs, and used the funds from those (selling discovered Prothean artifacts, mostly) to found and expand her own shipping company.

Trellani's next few centuries were spent in a mix of research, missions for the Temple, and increasingly becoming involved in trade and economic matters for the Republic. Several times she led combat missions against powerful and dangerous ardat-yakshi, and was awarded the highest awards of the Asari Republic not once, but twice, a rare honor for even a member of the Thirty, much less the Clans.

Trellani was highly vocal and visible, and worked ceaselessly to reduce intersocietal stresses between the Thirty and the Clanless. Eventually, this led to her election to the post of Stellarch and her being named Matriarch of Clan Moondance entire, a staggering honor in the eyes of almost all Clan asari – and the only non-Thirty to ever hold the post.

Trellani spent a good ninety years as one of the most sought-after Clan members in the Republic, with several powerful houses (including T'Armal) maneuvering for the possibility of adoption. She resisted this, implying she was more useful to the Temple and Republic as an example that the asari were flexible in how far Clan and Clanless could go and what they could achieve.

We are unsure exactly what or how Trellani angered the Republic. She was heavily involved, in the months prior to her flight, in some archaeological digs on Ilium and was writing a paper on the origins of the Church of Athame. All we know is that at some point she accessed some kind of secret area in the Temple of Athame and was attacked by Benezia and the Temple Guard.

How she managed to escape Thessia alive also remains a mystery. Her family and many of her close friends were executed by the Nightwind, and the Shadow Broker sent entire kill teams after her. She singlehandedly destroyed two such teams, but was apparently overmatched by Tazzik, who killed the few acolytes that had fled with her, but was unable to bring her down.

Trellani's activities since her flight from Thessia have been hard to pin down. She was involved in several turian separatist movements, specifically that of Hantahar, who believe the asari are responsible for turian economic troubles. She has worked with several known ardat-yakshi and ardat-rekshi, as well as certain crime syndicates.

Her involvement with Cerberus appears to have been one of serendipity, as there is no evidence that she was involved with them prior to her fall, although certainly she did business with Jack Harper at some point through Trellani Enterprises.

* * *

 **Motivations:**

Based on both her statements and actions, Trellani's ultimate goal is the obliteration of the Thirty, possibly the lesser houses, and the destruction of the Temple of Athame. Given her earlier zeal and dedication to this, we can only make surmises as to why she would pursue such a goal, all of them revolving around the concept that something in the Temple triggered this.

Given the extreme reactions of the asari towards her (she has a higher bounty than P.!) one can assume whatever she knows is _extremely_ dangerous for the Asari Republic, possibly enough to cause wide-scale civil disturbance. As this would no doubt negatively affect the galaxy, but also allow the Salarian Union to take the leading role in galactic events, obtaining this information is a high priority.

Secondary motivations are harder to determine. She has made common cause with Cerberus for well over twenty years, and it is possible (although we must admit, seemingly unlikely) that she has decided to somehow mesh her own plans with that of Cerberus. Given that since its 'destruction' at the hands of the Spectre Assault and the loss of its HQ, Cerberus appears to have gone back to mostly economic and intelligence based work, her focus here is something we do not understand.

Organizations and Affiliations: Currently, she is only affiliated with Cerberus. If she has other connections, we are unaware of them.

That being said, she was once connected to a great many groups, both legal and sub-legal. It is very possible she has other affiliations we are unaware of.

* * *

 **Tactics:**

Every warning one is usually given about a war priestess should go double for Trellani. While clan members are usually not as strong as members of the Thirty in sheer biotic power, Trellani gets close. The real danger is she has specialized in biotic research for _centuries_ and has not only developed many unknown abilities and invocations, but has uncovered lost ones that violate what we understand about the Laws of Limits in their usage.

Trellani is not a soldier, nor is she a military combatant. That being said, she is a very skilled and cunning sword dancer and has centuries of experience in using her biotics in combat. She can use almost every single biotic ability known to the Salarian Union, including several STG-specific invocations she helped us to create, as well as a handful of what appear to be drell-style biotics.

Trellani's primary weapon is her warp sword, although she has been noted to use light pistols and, on occasion, SMGs. She has no cybernetics, but does have extensive and unknown levels of bionetic enhancement – known improvements include all major muscle groups and probably some kind of adrenaline pump.

She is not the fastest or strongest, but both her biotics and her sword attacks are extremely accurate. More importantly, unlike most war priestesses who seem to believe they are invulnerable, Trellani is cautious and fully ready to call for backup support if overmatched.

Trellani is also apparently a skilled pilot, something she must have picked up in the building of her corporation.

* * *

 _Specific Tactical Methods, Ground Combat:_

As with all war priestesses, there isn't really a good range to attack from, but some are definitely worse than others.

Keep in mind that Trellani has anger issues, and will almost certainly use her most powerful attacks first. She is famous for specialization in extremely large area of effect attacks.

Long-range: At long-range, Trellani will utilize siege and area effect biotics in blistering combinations, often aiming for wide-scale biotic detonations. She has specialized in this skill and can create biotic firestorms and shockwaves that can level entire buildings.

She will utilize the Lance of Athame or Meteorfall on powerful opponents, often followed up with the terrifying ability to project a long-range 'cloud' of black biotic force much like an Annihilation field. This will create a titanic biotic explosion if done in combination.

Foes attempting to close range will be ignored, but snipers will be targeted with flares. Despite the dangers of this, long-range is the only range where her biotic power is at least somewhat evadable.

Medium-range: At medium-range, Trellani will usually focus more on single-target attacks of exceeding power, such as disrupt, Fell Sword of the Goddess, and warpfire blasts. The goal is to kill or cripple attackers with effective medium-range weapons or biotics, and to break up any organized approach. Agents are warned against finding cover – upon doing so, she typically reacts by using Athame's Fury (a very powerful trio of singularities) at any cover, the blast radius of which ensures instant death to anyone in range.

Short-range: At short-range, Trellani will utilize the spear kanquess and warpfire, throw, and her warp sword to attack surviving enemies directly. While she is not the equal in sheer speed to one of the Thirty, her bionetic enhancements give her a terrifying level of strength – and she is more than capable of weaving biotic attacks and her sword attacks into smooth and flawless motion. In particular, Trellani is the only known asari who regularly uses the disgusting batarian biotic ability known as Flay.

Warning Advisory: Trellani is known to specialize in biotic defenses – in particular, her Wall of Athame has been capable of blocking attacks a normal barrier field could not, including very powerful biotic attacks and even a direct hit from a SPEAR minigun.

Additionally, despite her lack of professional military training, Trellani is a hardened operator, who has killed with her bare hands, sword, biotics, and skills many times. She will not panic even under extremely heavy fire and does not make mistakes or underestimate her enemies. STG cells without a Transcendental are **_extremely_** unlikely to even wound her, much less kill her.

Like all asari biotics of great power, the easiest way to kill her would be a surprise long-range attack. Keep in mind, she has studied a great amount of biotic lore and can hold up a very strong barrier for days on end with little strain.

It should be noted that, despite the above warnings, Trellani is not, as mentioned earlier, trained in a military fashion. Any operation against her should use STG War Specs rather than conventional cells, and while she has some abilities to deal with poisonous gas, high-explosives, and mines, her mind will probably not predict such being used if done in a sudden fashion.

* * *

 **Physical Abilities:**

Trellani is a matriarch, and like all priestesses of Athame is in magnificent shape for a being of her age, with clearly defined muscles and graceful movements. She ran marathons and performed a wide array of endurance-based sports as a hobby throughout most of her life, and is notable for being rather hard to kill.

As mentioned earlier, Trellani has undergone significant bionetic enhancement at some point, with muscular strength far surpassing that of some batarians. While her body is not durable enough to use this level of strength to the fullest effect (that we know of), melee combat is not advised, as even a glancing blow is likely to incapacitate an STG agent.

Her senses are baseline for an asari, although her hearing is somewhat weaker than that of one of the Thirty. She has several large scars and older wounds that have, according to eyewitnesses, caused her some lingering pain.

Trellani wears highly customized battle armor, forged out of several asari-specific metals and crystals and lined with Silaris plating and advanced spall liners.

* * *

 **Mental and Psychological Notes:**

Bluntly put, Trellani is a psychopath the likes of which should even frighten P.

In her years since she left the Asari Republic, she has been involved in the deaths of tens of thousands of asari, many of them from the Lesser Houses or the Thirty. This includes at least a dozen asari tortured to death, an entire Lesser House nursery incinerated, and more than a handful of gruesome biotic attacks that collapsed entire buildings or (in one instance) destroyed all the life-support equipment for a space station with over three thousand asari on board.

Trellani's intellect was measured at 154 on the asari/human scale – near genius. Her well-organized thought patterns, history of research and study, and skill at half a dozen varied fields – economics, archaeological matters, political influence, and more – shows she has a powerful mind. She is a multilinear thinker who spent well over a century studying with salarian Wheel Mystics and is one of the few asari who employ salarian thinking-problem pattern sets when planning.

She is very familiar with STG tactics since she spent a great deal of time with the di Daaso in her youth.

As indicated earlier, her psychological state is ambiguous in the scale of its malevolence, but not the fact that she is one of the most amoral operators involved in the various shadow wars across the galaxy. Trellani is not stable – no matriarch who suffers the death of literally all of her bonds could be. There is both long-term mental and psychological damage as well as warped beliefs, and working for years with a group like Cerberus has probably not helped matters at all.

Trellani has the tendency to plan her actions _far_ in advance, in exacting detail, and then to simply 'follow the tides' and see how events impact her plan. This is crucial, as she has most likely already modeled and prepared for her ultimate goals even if in the short-term certain aspects of her plans are derailed.

* * *

 **Notable Allies:**

Aside from the obvious (Cerberus), it is worth noting that Edat Kurass has been very reluctant to actually proffer any aid or accept any contracts from the Thirty to hunt her down. There is fragmentary evidence that the two may still be in contact.

Trellani also has an unknown and strange relationship with Aria T'Loak, who provided some level of resources and cover during her flight from Asari Space.

* * *

 **Political and Social Notes:**

Politically, Trellani is an unmitigated disaster.

Whatever she knows, it was enough to have the Thirty send entire Oceans of Nightwind after her, six Royal Hunting Parties, twenty Spectres, and offer over ten billion credits in bounties. She is clearly a threat to the survival of the Thirty, or at least their dominance, yet has not released whatever information or knowledge she has.

 _Yet_ _._

As a ticking time bomb, we don't know how bad the situation will be when she decides to share her information. Worse, given her association with Cerberus and the still unknown goals of Jack Harper, there is every likelihood whatever is done will be to the detriment of galactic stability.

Trellani is a cunning and seasoned political operator in civil, business, and intelligence circles, and is far too cunning and careful to allow herself to be maneuvered into a disadvantaged position. There is every chance that, given her inability to operate openly in Citadel Space, she may have connections to elements in the Terminus, or even possible contacts with the Hanar Ascendancy.

Trellani is also a master social manipulator, beyond the match of most intelligence operators to match in the area of interactions with various elements of society. It is extremely likely she operates in some sort of disguise, and certainly her deep knowledge of both asari and salarian culture, economics, and military forces is used for the good of Cerberus. As an example, in the aftermath of Cerberus's destruction, she changed her facial markings, put on a veil, and openly traveled with an equally disguised Jack Harper on a public transport and no one even managed to identify the fact until almost five hundred hours after the event.

* * *

 **– STG – STG – STG –**

 **Warnings:**

The following advisories are considered mandatory reading.

 **Any contact with Trellani is to be reported immediately to the STG Master:** Regardless of the outcome, at least one agent in a cell that sees or interacts with Trellani is to flee at top speed and notify Command of her whereabouts.

 **Combat is contraindicated, but not forbidden. However, all efforts must be expended to capture her alive, or failing that, prevent her from leaving the world she is on. Termination is NOT authorized:** Whatever Trellani knows, we need to know to apply leverage to the Asari Republic. And it is very likely that she has set up a dead-transmit system, if she dies unexpectedly, she may have set up a way that files of what she knows are transmitted publicly, which could kick off a disastrous civil war or worse.

 **Combat should only be entered with War Specs and Transcendental specialists:** Conventional STG teams have almost a zero percent chance to survive any combat with Trellani due to her specializations.


	2. Reflections

**A/N:** _Context, or self-dishonesty? Who can really say?_

* * *

 _Benezia gazed sadly at the twisted, lifeless form of the young asari lying on the ground, smeared with blood and brutally savaged by blades of force. Standing a pace to the rear, her two acolytes looked around warily. The larger of the two held a shotgun and wore simple combat armor, while the shorter one held a warp sword, and was dressed in simple black robes in imitation of her mistress._

 _" _Ylana, Trellani. Remain focused and calm." Benezia's voice was cool and almost musing as she knelt to the body of the dead asari, frowning slightly as she attempted to sense some semblance of the biotic energies that had been used. "Flaring your biotics makes it more difficult for me to obtain a signature."__

 _Trellani exhaled shakily and nodded, while Ylana merely passed her hand over her eyes. "Lady Benezia, this is the fifth murdered researcher we've found since we started this examination of the works of Matriarch Dilinaga. It seems unlikely the two are unrelated. Shouldn't we request formal assistance from the justicars?"_

 _Benezia's eyes narrowed. "No. For several reasons… some of which are too sensitive to go into here. The nature of these crimes, however, no matter how brutal they may be, are their own signature. And I'm afraid I already know who – or what – is killing these researchers."_

 _She stood in single smooth motion, drawing her blade_ Oceans-Nightfallen-Mist __and raising her other hand in a biotic invocation. "And it is too late to call for help."__

 _A blazing bolt of biotic power lashed out from above, but Benezia moved faster than the two acolytes could follow. Somehow it twisted to strike her warp sword, blazing angrily before fading to nothing, and Benezia's features were hardened by a cold smile._

 _" _Power you may have, demon, but skill you lack, as with all your kind."__

 _From the dark shadows of the ruins of the shell of the building they were standing in, ancient asari ruins over five thousand years old, a shape slowly emerged. A black armored coat that hung to mid-thigh over black combat armor, and a silken black mask that only revealed a pair of cold blue eyes and a set of bright red, ritualistic looking facial markings._

 _The asari who stepped forward held her own warp sword, the blade shorter and more curved than Benezia's, and her voice was breathy and amused. Dressed in overlapping robes of some kind of black leather, trimmed in silvery scales, she stood shorter than Benezia, but was more muscular. "Another puppet of the Slavemistresss, I see. I'm almost honored they sent one so strong as you, although I should not be surprised."_

 _Benezia's eyes narrowed and her stance shifted into the starting position of Unbreaking Wave, the style she and Aethyta had designed together. Her voice was even colder than before, edged with anger and… something else Trellani couldn't quite pinpoint. "There are things best left in the darkness, monster, not hurled about for all those without the wisdom to see to struggle with."_

 _The other asari spun her sword almost idly before bringing it up in a stance Trellani didn't recognize. "And of course, the Thirty benefit from such amusingly self-interested moralism. But it's too late, far too late, puppet. The Mightiest is coming once more, and His plans require chaos to bring about."_

 _Benezia flickered, and Trellani and Ylana both flash-stepped back instinctively. Their mistress and the ardat-yakshi were clashing so fast they could not even track them, smears of blue light and blasts of wild cerulean energy lashing out in all directions. The air itself howled in protest as the two danced and the scrape of warp fields against one another tore through the night like a thousand damned souls screaming for release._

 _There was a subtle flicker around Benezia, and then a gasp from the ardat-yakshi as_ Oceans-Nightfallen-Mist __tore through her chest, purple blood spilling from her mouth. Benezia tore the sword free before reversing her swing and beheading the ardat a second later, the body slumping to the ground lifelessly and the flames of the warp blade flickering into darkness.__

 _Benezia exhaled, then slumped to her knees, breathing heavily. Two ugly slashes marred her armored robes, and Ylana moved forward to assist her. Benezia held up her free hand, her voice shaky. "There is no time for that. Destroy the body, immediately. I will clear out the building myself. Trellani, remain alert, this one may have had assistance."_

 _Trellani nodded curtly, but her mind was already working on the mystery before her. Why had the ardat been killing researchers? Why was it all being covered up?_

 _Even as she gathered herself, she heard movement behind her, and spun around, preparing a flare. A second later a pair of heavily armored justicars – both with the gilt golden trim of the justicars from the Thirty – emerged from the thick brush surrounding the ruins. Both were veiled, and took in the forms of Trellani and Ylana with a mix of confusion and… something else._

 _Benezia slowly rose and faced them. "It is done."_

 _The left justicar tilted her head. "Is it not? There are still those who know."_

 _Benezia shook her head. "The information was not… spoken of. Once we destroy the evidence here, there will no trail left to follow." Benezia's eyes narrowed. "And if you speak of what I think you intend, you overstep your bounds."_

 _The other justicar folded her arms. "The commands from the Council of Matriarchs were extremely clear."_

 _Benezia's expression cleared into a smile. "I am aware of that. And I can say that there is no risk. Furthermore, indulging you in your bloodthirsty idiocy would only attract more attention to this incident. I trust you understand why."_

 _Trellani had no idea what they were discussing, but she had rarely heard that edge of disdainful anger from her mistress. Although if she had to guess, she assumed that this – whatever the ruins and the ardat represented – were things the Thirty did not want the Clans to know about._

 _The two justicars were silent for a few seconds, then the left one nodded. "If you are wrong, Benezia, you will deal with the detritus of this wave."_

* * *

 _"Matriarch Trellani. It is now 1030 local time. You wished for me to awaken you if you did not awaken on your own."_

Trellani sat up slowly in the quarters she shared with Jack, blinking away sleep at the voice of EVA. She had not dreamed of her days with Benezia in … over a decade.

She shook her head to clear it. "Thank you, Eva. Where is Jack?"

 _"Mr. Harper is in the Observatorium. He is in discussion with Shepard via QEC link. You have no outstanding communications, although Operative Leng would like to schedule a sparring match at your earliest convenience."_

She shuddered. "I will get back to him."

The asari swung her legs over the edge of the bed, standing slowly and stretching to work out kinks in her aging body. She slept naked, as she always had – humanity's bizarre affectation for nighttime clothing had infected the asari people as many other changing trends had, but she did not take it up.

She'd just have to take them off anyway, after all, given all the stress put on Jack now. She no longer had the endurance of her maiden or even matron years, and Jack only had two methods of stress relief – her and alcohol. It made for pleasurable nights, but somewhat exhausted mornings at times.

She walked quietly into the bathroom, tapping the haptic controls to the hydro-spa before immersing herself into the gloriously warm waters. "Eva, status report on Project Ereshkigal, verbal, level six top down, summary changes, past eight hours."

The synthetic voice of the AI named after Jack's old lover spoke quietly. _"Operative Teams Six and Eleven finished recovery of all data elements. A justicar was on-site and was dispatched, although eleven team members were slain. All assets reported into the transport. Once aboard, the mechs dispensed the mixture of boron trichloride and tellurium hexafluoride once all members of the team were asleep. No life signs detected. Ship is on automated transit to Pick-up Location Four. Cerberus elements have been notified."_

She nodded. She hated using mercenaries, and there was a certain elegance to utilizing those mercenaries whose masters ultimately answered to the Thirty. Vigil faking up their orders only made the irony sweeter. "Excellent. Notify me when the tablets have arrived."

She spent a good half hour bathing before finally getting out, her mind already on the next phases of her plan. The information she'd been able to put together in the years since she fled her own people and mistress were… distressing. No wonder the justicars had wanted any non-Thirty member to know anything dead.

The information she'd found in the Temple and her other research was… sickening.

It wasn't enough to know that Athame herself was a lie. In fact, out of everything, Trellani found that part almost irrelevant. Athame may not have been an asari, but from what she knew of the program, it valued all life equally, and was not malevolent or tolerant of cruelty, evil, or spite. The flawed and broken things that were its Avatars in the modern day tried to assuage their shattered conscience by altruism in all things.

Nor was she, on extended reflection, very surprised that the Thirty had acted like the murderous and controlling monsters they were. It was clear from what she'd found that the blame could not solely be placed on them, as they had been shaped to be the captains of a slave empire that answered to the makers of Athame.

No, what galled her is that the Protheans were stupid enough to meddle with the fates of entire species and then were idiotic enough to leave enough materials around that the early asari, once they realized what they had, were able to meddle with things and take the entire asari people down a dark path.

She sighed, examining her body in the floor length mirrors in the lavishly appointed bathing area. She was always amused that Jack found her form more erotic than the endless human women who'd thrown themselves at him, but then again, she had centuries of experience in how to use her body.

Her limbs and body were still tightly defined, the bionetic muscular enhancements she'd done to herself so long ago to be able to keep up with the other priestesses of Athame allowing her the vigor of a much younger asari. The ugly scars from the battle with Benezia – and those from Tazzik – stood out as ugly lines upon her otherwise perfect skin.

She grimaced as she pulled on her clothing for the day – nightsilk gown, trimmed with the faintest screened gray hexagons, gold sash and shawl, and the ever-present Cerberus pin. Old regrets and losses meant nothing. She found it darkly amusing that it had been her own tranport company that had aided the Broker's people in gathering up the abandoned STG project that created Tazzik, only to have him try to kill her years later.

Amusing and somehow appropriate. She took in her image in the mirror, and once again thought about having the mark of the Ever-Present Star on her throat altered to a Cerberus sigil. She discarded the thought, exiting the living areas and moving toward the center of the base. A few personnel – Econ Division, mostly, but one trooper as well – passed her, and she inclined her head to each.

All of these were returned, with honest respect.

While the 'new' incarnation of Cerberus was not as extreme as the old regime, and Shepard's group ostensibly was more aliens than humans, the fact remained that only one alien – herself – had sported the Hexagon for well over twenty years. Most of Cerberus, with the noted exception of Minsta, his daughter, and perhaps Miranda – were more than polite to her, given what she had lost at the hands of her own people.

To Trellani, it was more simple. The tenets of Athame may have been built on lies, but that did not make them untrue in and of themselves. And a core concept of Athame's teachings on fate and destiny was simple – hope is defiance against despair. If Cerberus stood for anything, in her eyes, it was defiance – defiance against a galaxy that found nothing wrong in mass genocide, eternal slavery, and the corruption or death of billions in their shadow wars against each other.

While asari customs and culture was multifaceted, complex, and often contradictory, Cerberus was more simple. They didn't really care who you were, only what you did. If one was unwilling to declare where they stood, the Dog would not respect you. And if you did, they would respect you, even if you were purple.

She exhaled slowly as she walked past the defensive stations that encircled the middle of Minuteman Station. All access points throughout the base were choked off by these automated posts, manned by RAMPART mechs behind thick kinetic barriers, while rows of armored turrets scanned in every direction.

Jack's paranoia was tiresome at times.

As if she would let anything harm him. She had enough taken from her already that there was no way she would allow anything else to be lost. Ever.

She paused, musing on that flare of anger in her veins, and considered. A part of her, a part scarred and torn asunder by the murder of her beloved and her family, had never healed. But another part of her had, at least a little. She did not fool herself into thinking Jack loved her, in the sappy, echas-novel romantic sense of emptyheaded maidens.

She was… comfortable for Jack. Perhaps even a necessary component. But Jack – like Shepard, like herself – only had room in his heart for one love.

That didn't mean she didn't matter to him, or him to her. Or she might be wrong. She might be more important to him than she figured. It took immense skill in melding to keep their memories and thoughts separate, something she had always done – she respected Jack far too much to violate his last place of inner peace.

But there were times, times when she hurt, when she was alone and the anger could not sustain her, that she wished she could tear off her mental scars, break through, and see what Jack felt. If only to make herself feel better.

Her hand clenched and released as she stepped past the scanning beams, her face set in a calm smile. There were times she felt that way, perhaps. But she could never give into that impulse. She could not stand another loss like what she had already endured, and even if all the plans she and Jack had came to perfect fruition, they would both die in seeing them done.

She stepped past the secondary security array, the mirror-finish wooden sliding doors to the room beyond splitting open and revealing the night-black interior of the Observatorium. The walls were thickly layered with dozens of haptic report screens, while the main viewscreen was split into several windows of scrolling financial data.

Jack Harper sat in his comfortable chair, sipping whiskey. His head half turned as she entered, then went back to the displays. "…You're usually up earlier than this."

Trellani often pondered getting human eyebrow markings, if only to mock Jack's raised eyebrow of curiosity. "You're usually not so active, beloved." She walked next to him, eyes scanning the scrolling data representing financial transactions, and her lips quirked. "I see you're busy frustrating that fool Maliki again."

Jack's expression displayed a slight hint of a smile. "That one always thought himself smarter than me. It is always amusing to remind him that he isn't. Still, the very fact that he's on the trail of the breach in our outer layer of front companies is troubling." He shut off the haptic screen and turned to face her. "You are still determined to go through with being on the ground at Ilium? It is a large risk."

Trellani knew how bad Jack was at emoting his true feelings, so she found herself touched by even the mention of concern. She considered her words for a moment before giving him a gentle smile. "There is no running from fate, you know that. I could give you some elegant argument to explain my choice, but honestly…"

She turned away from the seeking blue-glowing eyes, her own purple ones seeking out the endless stars displayed upon the walls. "…I am… tired, Jack. I am spent." She turned back to him. "Every night is a chorus of the parts of me torn out and murdered by the Broker and the Thirty. Every day is a struggle to not simply expose everything, knowing that would only make things worse."

She opened her hands. "My people are not meant for long, solitary existences, especially when we are soul-wounded. There is not much more left for me to do, aside from achieving my revenge. And while there are days when the warmth of that fills me and drives me forward…"

She trailed off, and Jack nodded slowly, sipping his drink, his voice calm but also holding a faint hint of pain. "There are days it is insufficient to reminding you of why you keep going."

She nodded. "It is… amusing, that you of all people would be the source of what little stability I have left. I did not expect that, on that rainy day on Bekenstein."

He tilted his head, and once again she was struck by the sheer strength and charm in his very profile, his stance, his smell. "Perhaps. I like to believe that fate conspires to bring about change, but then again, I also like to believe that humanity's biggest failing is our own disunity."

He lifted a cigarette to his mouth and lit it, exhaling. "Seeing what 'unity' has done to the asari makes me wonder if my own goal needs adjusting."

Trellani laughed, a breathy sound. "Ultimately, beloved, such things do not matter. I go to Ilium because I know that world better than any other you could send. I go because to deal with creatures like the Sisters of Vengeance almost demands a matriarch's presence – your own people simply cannot impress them or convince them."

Jack fixed her with a look. "And it has nothing to do with the fact we expect Tazzik to be there?"

Trellani's lips curled more. "When we last met, lovely Jack, Tazzik was fresh, while I was exhausted, wounded, and mentally shattered. I will not deny that killing him is going to be satisfying." She paused, then shook her head. "But there is more than that."

She gestured around the walls, to the data flowing from many screens, the news stations, the tracking beacons. "What you have created and brought forth is a positive thing, despite the ugly actions Cerberus must undertake. If it was not, Shepard _would_ have killed us. She wanted to, I could feel that much, and yet she did not. She is, I assure you, never pragmatic enough to put up with the unacceptable without a good reason."

She smiled. "There is nothing… positive… about what I plan. I will have to die if your own plans are to succeed."

Harper shifted in his seat. "The flash-clone option is not something I am comfortable with. It has a highly reduced lifespan—"

She smiled wider. "Jack." She stepped forward, close enough to smell his expensive cologne, and trailed her fingers down his cheek. "Do you think I want to live?" Her gaze softened. "Almost every pleasure has been taken from me, almost all light, all heat. And the Temple has very good records of what my gene-test should look like. Clones – flash or vat-grown – will not work. And they will never stop seeking until they have my body and can be very sure I am dead."

The Illusive Man dumped his ashes. "This… biotic transference ritual… that you discovered. You're sure it will work?"

She shook her head. "No. The matriarch who pioneered it was killed before she could utilize it. In theory it should work… all that is me would be shunted via the melding into the flash-clone, and my own body would be brain-dead. There would be no way to tell what I had done, as this… procedure was only recorded in Matriarch Siana's compound that I found after I had fled the Temple."

Jack sighed. "And will you be yourself afterwards?"

She shrugged. "My power will be… much weaker. I am not sure how much of my memory will remain, or if I will be able to utilize my biotic skills. It does not matter. Once I am 'dead,' the Thirty will see Cerberus as a human concern, not one they need worry about." She smiled. "By the time they realize the truth…"

He nodded. "Then the truth will be out there, and we'll take advantage of it." He stubbed out his cigarette. "I don't disagree with the plan. I merely worry that you'll be of… tangible use once it is executed."

She arched a brow. "Aside from in bed, I presume?" She was fascinated – and mortified – to see what had to be an almost undetectable flash of hurt cross Harper's features, and sighed sadly. "That was unfair to you. I know what you mean. But as I said, it does not matter."

He narrowed his eyes. "An asari flash-clone is unlikely to last even twenty years."

She shrugged. "Jack…"

He stood, jaw flexing slightly, and his cybernetic gaze sharpened. "I am not given to needless emoting or extravagant statements. I am also not fond of dramatic pauses." He smiled. "But if you think your only value to me is in your biotic skills or your wealth or even your body, you give yourself too little credit."

His voice darkened. "If not for you, I would have simply gone right along with Rachel and that fool Williams and doomed us all. If not for you, I am not sure the pain of losing Eva, losing my daughter, losing my family would not have turned me to a path that had no good endings. If not for you, I wonder if I would even be alive this very moment."

She said nothing for long seconds, then made an almost languid sign of siari separation. "The difference between a cup of water and the ocean wide is merely one of scale, not of function. The value inherent in any container is not what it is made of, but what it contains."

She folded her arms. "I am not saying I plan to throw my life away, Jack. But you are unlikely to live much longer than twenty years, and once my goals are completed, my plans will transpire regardless of if I am dead or alive." She smiled. "And I cannot imagine Shepard tolerating the Thirty to live once the truth emerges."

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "So, for once, my dear love, you cannot plan or plot some method to change the nature of the game. I am _tired_ , Jack." Something shifted in her voice. "And so are you. Miranda will see what needs to be done accomplished… and at that point, you and I are only in the way."

Jack Harper said nothing for long moments, lifting his gaze to the artificial starscape around them. He finally spoke. "I can't stop you from going. Or rather, I will not." He turned to face her. "Perhaps I merely wish for some measure of… peace after all of the planning is done and the battles fought. I have fought to protect humanity – from aliens, from itself, from all threats – so long because I always dreamed of a day I could _stop_ _._ A day I could find myself again, instead of using what I used to have and be to spur me on."

He walked away, his voice ragged. "It is a dream I have, you see."

She stood for long minutes in the darkened Observatorium, alone, the swirling surface of the blue supergiant the only thing moving in the room.


End file.
